Francis Crawford of Lymond chosen as most popular character from a Scottish book

10:06, 28 Nov 2014

ByScotland Now

CRAWFORD was joined in the list by Ian Rankin's Rebus, Sherlock Holmes and Oor Wullie, with Trainspotting character Francis Begbie coming second.

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Francis Crawford of Lymond came first in the poll

FRANCIS Crawford of Lymond has been chosen as the most popular character from a Scottish book after a public vote.

Crawford, who is the central character of Dorothy Dunnett's Lymond Chronicles, was joined in the list by Ian Rankin's Rebus, Sherlock Holmes and Oor Wullie.

Violent sociopath Francis Begbie from Irvine Welsh's Trainspotting came second by one vote.

The poll attracted more than 3,150 votes from 28 countries including Argentina and Qatar.

Conducted as part of Scottish Book Week, the vote invited the public to choose from a shortlist of 50 titles.

The books were compiled by a panel of experts to reflect the range and diversity of Scottish writing.

Edinburgh-based author JK Rowling saw two of her characters earn places on the list with Hermione Granger finishing sixth and Harry Potter being voted as joint ninth.

Robert Carlyle as Begbie in Trainspotting

Fans got behind Begbie in the vote earlier this week after Irvine Welsh promised to write a book based on the character if he won.

Marc Lambert, director of Scottish Book Trust, said: "Francis Crawford of Lymond may be an unknown name to many, but Dorothy Dunnett's enduring popularity, sustained over the years by her legions of devoted fans, is testament to the strength of writing talent that we enjoy in Scotland.

"Literature is one of the best ways of really inhabiting another person's thoughts, and is the reason why people have such strong feelings about their favourite character. It isn't always a traditionally 'nice' character who gets under people's skin either, as is proven by Begbie and Miss Jean Brodie's positions in the top 10."

Voters were also able to nominate a favourite character if their choice was not available on the shortlist.